First F-35A for Norway takes first flight

 

Fort Worth, Texas – For the first time a Norwegian F-35 took off from the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the first of several test flights that will lead towards the formal delivery to Norway.

 

Minister of Defense, Ine Eriksen Søreide is satisfied that the Armed Forces is one step closer to start training with the new aircraft.

 

“The test flight shows that the program is on track, and it is an important confirmation to get before the Parliament now will decide on the next round of procurement of F-35,” says the Minister of Defense.

 

It was the second Norwegian aircraft, AM-2 (serial number 5088) which had the honor of being first, and the pilot was Bill Gigliotti from Lockheed Martin. The flight lasted for 1 hour and 32 minutes and aimed to test the engine and control systems. Over the next few weeks, the first two Norwegian aircraft will go through a series of test flights before they will be moved to Luke Air Force Base in November.

 

Major General Morten Klever is the program director of the Fighter program and is responsible for the Norwegian procurement of the F-35. He points out that the first flight with a Norwegian F-35 underlines the importance of the preparations currently underway before receiving the first aircraft in two years.

 

“Several of the other buyer countries of the F-35 envision a more gradual transition from the current aircraft to the F-35. We do not have that possibility because the current F-16 is about to reach its end of life. Although the Norwegian procurement of the F-35 will last for nearly 10 years, it will happen in a shorter time than in other countries. We are entering an exciting new phase until the F-35 begins to solve missions here at home in 2019,” says Klever.